Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-12-03
THE SCHOOL OF DE,IGY.
Progress Made ia IA Sacramento Ins,i:r
tior-sfoIk uf the Pupils.

liz OeSioAiiNhi-b A9IlcOl Vi DtSIEu Is q
public institution of this city that should
receive great i. al more. of attention sna
engage in its studies good many more
pupils. 1t has achieved remarkable sue
present so fine record of the early years of
its existence. The school is maintained by
the California Museum Association, which,
jointly with the city, occupies the E. B.
Crocker Art Gallery, owned by the munich
pality. 1t is thus a public concern, and in
timately related to the educational system
of the city. No other city, it is believed, is
able to say that it has an art institution so
closely involved with the system of public
education. With view of ascertaining by
quiet observation and close inquiry the
present status of the school and the pro-
gress of the pupils a RECORD UNION repre-
resentative has recently made several WIS.,
its to the Art Gallery while the school was
IN session, observed the pupils at study in
the several classes, and from time to time
examined nearly every piece of work
turned out. The observations were com
pleted yesterday.
THE CONCLUSION
Reached is that the school is admirably
managed, is of great benefit to the pupils;
the system of teaching is sound and the
general conduct of the school worthy of all
praise. But the examination of the re-
cords of the school also show that il is con-
Quoted by the Museum Association on
what, it is submitted, are too easy terms
Its rates of tuition are far below those of
most art schools, and scarcely more than
half the sum charged for tuition in the
San Francisco School of Design, while the
progress of the pupils, as is incontestbly
shown by the work on and off the easels, is
as great as is made in the San Francisco
school, Being questioned upon that point
the instructor in charged expressed his
conviction that if the coming exhibition of
the two schools could be made coniointly
the Sacramento institution would have no
cause to fear comparison. He had re-
Gently examined the work in the San
Francisco school, and was bold to say
that he was willing to have the work of his
pupils put along side Of it.
THE PURPOSE
Of the management appears to have been
to make the Sacramento school available
to the largest possible numbers, and to
make no charge beyond the necessity OF
current expenses, which, as there is no rent
10 pay and no fixed capital involved, are
light. Whether this policy is mistake or
not remains to be determined. Certainly
it should have drawn much larger classes
from throughout Central and Northern
California, and especially from Sacramento.
The school has been in existence two
years, and is now upon the eve of closing
its second year with its annual exhibition
1t occupies unquestionably the finest art
work room on the continent, and the sur
roundings are all of such character as to
architecture, ornamentation, green swards,
grassy slopes, beautiful foliage and flowers,
as to give the pupils every advantage 20
progress. In such an atmosphere, and sur
rounded by such influences, if there is anv
art taste in the pupil it will be fully devef-
oped.
THE REGULAR CLASS.
In the regular class, meeting five days a
week at A. NJ. and closing at P. M, there
are twenty-five pupils. In the Saturday
class, meeting once week, there are eigh-
teen pupils. There is room for fully fifty
pupils in each class without inconvenience
The Saturday class was established prima-
rily for teachers and pupils in public
schools. The former have not attended in
number at all commensurate with the in
vitation the class extends to them and the
importance of the study.
la RlCdSduI We w SuHtSudy Is given
up to sketching and excursions are made
to as distant points as can conveniently be
reached. A Gfe-class is given an hour
daily in addition to the regular hours. In
this class the pupils pose for each other
and portraiture is made specially. Once
a week lecture is delivered on perspective
with practical illustrations, and blackboard,
camera and several original devices are
employed to illustrate the principles Re-
Gently the school issued very handsome
ART JOURNAL.
Which having been generally circulated
along the northern coast and in the in
terror, has brought many inquiries con-
corning the school, and the prospect is
that the January term will open with a
larger membership. When the school
Was founded the late Virgil Williams
said of ii that the rule to enforce the study
of drawing for year before allowing pu-
pills TO touch the brush, was good one,
but that it could not be enforced and a
school live, for California parents would
insist upon their sons and daughters being
taught how to paint" if they were un-
able even to draw a line with charcoal
point Examination proves that the Sac
ramento school did and does enforce the
rule.
DRAWING STUDY
Is the essential to any progress in the in
stitution. 1t is insisted upon, and in every
case with success. One lady told the re-
porter that she had. before coming into the
school, painted for year or more and
drawn from "fiat studies for as long a time
but that when in this school placed before
a" cast " and told to draw it, she found to
her dismay that she could not do it. and
that all her previous fiat study work and
painting had not qualified her to draw cor
rectly in free hand the simplest of natural
objects. Like a sensible woman she went
back to fundamentals, and in this school
has developed as an adept in free hand
work and is now prepared to go on prop
erly equipped to the higher work.
THE CASTS, STUDIES, ETC,
In the school include parts of the human
figure, parts of the figures of animals. CO.
lossal and life-size human figures, torsi,
busts, masks, ETC., in large numbers. There
are besides wooden models, fiat studies,
and some 5000 studies from studios of Eu-
rope gathered by the late Judge E. B.
Crocker, many of which in drapery and
architectural study, anatomical drawing.
portraiture, will be availed of in time. The
pupils have the advantage of study of
landscape, color, portraiture, figures, etc,
in the 700 paintings in the Art Gallery,
which is free to them at all times, and
where they are sometimes taken by the in
structor for special lessons.
THE PUPILS.
There are some pupils in the school, pos
sibly not more than two, whose
work does not show much taste
for it, or natural capacity. But with
these exceptions the work of the
members of the classes prove the pupils to
be adapted to the study, and to have made
progress, that in some cases is more than
remarkable. In the Saturday class the
pieces executed from beginning to the end
of the year, being examined, support these
verdicts:
Laura and Lottie Steffens in their second
year, for Juvenile pupils have made rapid
and the right kind of progress. Both have
ability and good taste, and are developing
the latter into fine taste-what Is, as well,
they both have patience. Hattie Elmer in
her first term, is doing very WELL and has
it in her power to presently move more
rapidly formed in scholarship. Josie
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